Passing through the long, narrow tunnel, the three of them finally arrived in front of a frozen waterfall.
Upon seeing it, Natsui finally understood why Lorelei had given this cave the name "Icefall Cave."
Apart from a dozen or so streams of water less than a foot wide that were still flowing downwards, the massive waterfall was frozen solid, like a thick wall of ice!
Before they could even marvel at the wonders of nature, their attention was drawn to the faint sound of voices coming from deeper within.
The three of them exchanged a look and quietly crept closer.
Rounding a huge pillar of ice, they saw several Team Rocket members crouching by the shore of a lake filled with floating ice, busy with something.
Next to them was a huge metal net, and dozens of unconscious Pokémon lay lifelessly inside it!
So there really are Team Rocket members here!
Looking at what they were doing, they were taking out Poké Balls one by one and capturing these fainted Pokémon!
This sent Lorelei into a rage!
No wonder they had only encountered a few Pokémon on their way here; it turned out they had already been poached by them!
There was an unwritten rule when it came to humans collecting Pokémon.
To avoid causing extinction, Pokémon should be captured in a limited manner that does not affect the ecological balance. One must never, as Team Rocket was doing, catch all the Pokémon in a habitat in one fell swoop!
Moreover, this was happening in her homeland, practically under her nose. How could she not be burning with fury!
Natsui scanned the area and, confirming that there were only these few grunts, consulted with Lorelei and Sabrina. Then, he and Lorelei each sent out their Pokémon and charged toward the men!
The sound of their hurried footsteps naturally caught the attention of the Team Rocket grunts.
Seeing these people emerge from nowhere with such a menacing aura, the grunts were all horrified.
"Oh no, it's that damn woman Lorelei!"
Damn... woman!?
Lorelei's eyebrow twitched, her anger flaring even hotter. With a running start, she dashed to the front of the Pokémon, then leaped into the air and viciously slammed her elbow into a grunt's face.
With a loud 'thwack,' blood splattered.
The grunt collapsed to the ground like a noodle, several of his teeth sent flying!
Yikes!
Natsui grimaced at the sight. He never thought that Lorelei, who seemed so intellectual and easygoing, had such a violent side.
Not someone to mess with, definitely not someone to mess with!
Only after their comrade was knocked down did the other grunts finally react, simultaneously sending out their Pokémon.
In an instant, a battle broke out.
Team Rocket's Pokémon were, of course, the eternal villains—Golbat and Weezing.
But how could their Pokémon possibly be a match for Natsui and the others!?
Sure enough, after just a few exchanges, they were all swiftly defeated and knocked to the ground.
Seeing this, the grunts tried to escape in the chaos, but with a wave of Sabrina's hand, they were bound in place by an invisible force.
With the dust settled, Natsui bent down to untie the knots of the metal net, while Lorelei walked up to one of the grunts and planted her foot on his chest.
"Spill it. What are you doing in the Sevii Islands? Where is your secret base hidden!?"
Although Lorelei's tone was severe, the grunt didn't seem to care at all. Instead, he looked at her and sneered.
"In your dreams, hag! Who do you think we are!? We are members of the great Team Rocket! You'll never get any information about the organization out of my mouth!"
Hearing this, Lorelei kicked him a few more times in anger, but the grunt just clenched his jaw, refusing to utter a single word.
By now, Natsui had untied the net, woken up the captured Pokémon, and released the ones from the Poké Balls. Once they opened their eyes and saw the situation, they scattered like frightened rabbits, disappearing in the blink of an eye!
Shaking his head, he stood up and turned around, just in time to see Lorelei on the verge of exploding with frustration, yet completely helpless.
After a moment's thought, he couldn't help but walk over.
"Miss Lorelei, questioning them like this won't work. These guys are quite loyal, and they know you won't really do anything to them, which is why they're so brazen."
Lorelei glanced at him and asked, "Then what do you suggest?"
Natsui rubbed his chin and smiled. "Although I could strip them naked and leave them here to their fate, or dunk them in the water to suffer the freezing cold until they're permanently disabled, I'm a kind person. How could I possibly do something like that?"
Lorelei: ...
Team Rocket Grunt: ...
Ignoring their gazes, which looked as if they were seeing a demon, Natsui turned his head to Sabrina.
"I think you should use that trick you once used on Ash."
Sabrina nodded and raised a hand. The next second, all of the grunt's comrades, except for the one being questioned, shrank in size and turned into dolls!
"This... this is psychic power!"
The one grunt who had been spared was horrified, his face filled with terror as he looked at Sabrina.
"You... you're that psychic Gym Leader from Saffron City!?"
"So you've heard of Sabrina!" Natsui said with a brilliant smile. "Well, that makes things easier. If you don't want to end up like them, a doll for the rest of your life, unable to ever be free, then you'd better tell us everything we want to know, without holding anything back."
Gulp.
The grunt swallowed hard. Although he was terrified, his loyalty to Team Rocket still overcame his fear.
"In your dreams!"
"Then there's no other way," Natsui shrugged, a look of regret on his face. "Sabrina, if you would, please change his comrades back, and then turn him into a doll. Let him stay here for the rest of his life."
With that, Natsui crouched down in front of the grunt and gave him a thumbs-up.
"I admire your courage, but I'm confident that your comrades' lips will be looser than yours. You, unfortunately, will have to stay here and become one with the ice and snow, until the day you're rediscovered."
Hearing this, the grunt broke out in a cold sweat.
He could guarantee his own loyalty to Team Rocket, but he couldn't help but doubt his comrades. He suspected those cowards would betray the cause to avoid being turned into dolls!
Am I... going to be the stepping stone for their freedom!?
Before he could think any further, he saw Sabrina about to raise her hand and quickly shouted to stop her.
"Wait... wait! I'll talk!"
"A wise choice," Natsui said, patting his shoulder as he finally saw the light. He then stood up and shrugged at the dumbfounded Lorelei. "Hm? Strange, why are you looking at me like that? I'm helping you with the interrogation, you know. You should be grateful!
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